Ajay Devgn on winning the IAA Brand Endorser Of The Year, “The credit completely goes to my father”

Ajay Devgn went down memory lane on his association with the medium of cinema when he was a kid.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

August 11, 2023 - 11:55 AM IST

The IAA India Chapter hosted the 10^th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards on Wednesday August 9 in Mumbai. Bollywood star Ajay Devgn was presented with the IAA Brand Endorser Of The Year. Following this, the actor got into a conversation with Neeraj Roy, the Managing Director of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.

Ajay Devgn on winning the IAA Brand Endorser Of The Year, “The credit completely goes to my father”

Devgn has been in the entertainment field for over 30 years. He was asked what exactly inspired him to be in the movies. The actor said, “I remember as a child, cinema was always around me and was everything to me because of my father (Veeru Devgan). He was one of the topmost action directors; he then became a director. (He was) very innovative and technically very strong at that time when we did not have that kind of technology and VFX and things like that. He would create things, which were practically impossible. That fascinated me always and I learnt a lot from him.”

He continued, “I think when I was 9 or 10 years old, I started editing with him. So, by 11 or 12 years, I used to edit the sequences he used to shoot. He got me a camera and I started shooting films in whatever capacity I could. So, I loved the technology, especially when cinema is concerned. If somebody asks me what would you have been if not in films, I wouldn’t know because I don’t know anything else. I think this credit is completely my father’s. He made me what I am today.”

The evening also saw Devgn speaking about his passion for special effects through his firm NY VFXWAALA. When asked what inspired him to start a VFX company, he said, “It used to always feel at one point of time that we can’t do what Hollywood can do. We used to struggle because we didn’t have that kind of technology and people weren’t trained in that manner. As a kid, I was fascinated to do something, which would make us stand at par with Hollywood. I remember the first time VFX was used, I used it in a film called Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha in 1998-99. One of the first machines had come in. Nobody knew how to use it; I was the first one to use it. So, there are a lot of firsts I have tried to do because I love to upgrade. And that’s how slowly I went onto starting a VFX studio of my own, which is, touchwood, one of the best VFX studios in the country. It can compete anywhere with Hollywood.”

Devgn also said that it is imperative for people in the entertainment business to change with the changing times. “The storytellers need to grow and change with the changing times of the audiences,” he said. “There was a point when we weren’t exposed to international cinema. Now, because of the OTT platforms, technology, connectivity and the internet, I think everybody is watching everything. We have a competition in the sense that quality of films and storytelling are concerned.”

Devgn also pointed out that along with technology, one also needs to upgrade themselves with the young generation of today. “You also have to adapt to the newer generation,” he said. “I learn a lot from my children and their friends. Many a times, my daughter is watching a film on 2X (speed). And I am like, how can you understand a film on 2X? She said, I got the point, and this is how (I watch), otherwise it gets very boring. So, you need to learn that patience is running out. They are on Insta and their patience is not more than 30 seconds. They keep changing. So how do you engage the audience is the most important thing.”

Coming to the current topic of theatre versus OTT, Devgn added, “Theatre experience can never go out, I would say. It’s a different experience watching a big film on the screen. But yes, we have to decide what to make for theatres and OTT. So, we need to adapt ourselves.”

Devgn also spoke about his upcoming film Maidaan, which is based on India’s football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. “It’s a lovely true story in the 50s. I don’t think a lot of people know about it. It was a golden era for football in India. India won the Aisa Cup because of only one man. It’s his story. And right now, I will start shooting Singham 3,” he signed off.

Also Read: Deepika Padukone to play Ajay Devgn’s sister in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again